Masterworks | Dec 14- 21

2018 was a landmark year for documentary—but there are still many hidden gems that beg to be seen on the big screen before the year is through. Just for you: the doc connoisseur, we’ve curated a remarkable lineup of films you won’t want to let slip under your radar. Your best-of list isn’t complete until you’ve seen these classics-in-the-making.

The Silence of Others

When Spain prohibits the prosecution of any Franco-era crime, surviving torture victims and their families rebel, launching the controversial “Argentine Lawsuit.” Stunning testimonies battle historical amnesia in this gripping exposé, executive produced by the Almodóvars.

The Waldheim Waltz

With uncanny parallels to our current political climate, filmmaker Ruth Beckermann revisits the scandal of former UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, who covered up a Nazi past to rise to the Austrian presidency.

Transformer

A father, ex-marine and world-record powerlifter faces a singular feat of strength: transitioning from male to female. Facing professional and personal rejection, she searches for peace in her own skin in this clear-eyed portrait of the transition process.

Of Fathers and Sons

An exiled filmmaker returns to his homeland to follow one of the founders of al-Qaeda’s Syrian arm and his two adolescent sons in this haunting family portrait of generational warfare and the road to radicalization.